Arizona Mallard Survives Arrow in Neck
OutdoorHub Reporters 02.05.13
An unlucky bowman and an even more unfortunate duck met one day near Flagstaff, Arizona. The end result was the mallard somehow flying away under its own power with an arrow lodged in its neck.
According to Grand View Outdoors, the duck managed to survive at least a week with its extra appendage. Residents near Continental Pond saw the duck flying around maimed, and petitioned for Arizona Game and Fish officials to treat the injured bird. Locals like Shamarra Stuteville begin feeding the mallard.
“It’s kind of heartwarming to see how many people are concerned about this one duck who was injured by an unsuccessful hunter,” she said.
Residents had dubbed the duck “Cupid” in admiration of the animal’s will to live. And the fact that it had an arrow in its neck.
Game and Fish officers spent a combined 55 hours to capture the animal without harming it, most methods proved either too risky to the bird’s health or too dangerous to the officers in the frozen pond. Finally, it took a six-man crew to catch the bird in a concerted effort.
“It was a major undertaking,” said Officer Clint Adams. The duck was taken to Canyon Pet Hospital where the arrow was retrieved and then treated for infection.
The legal season for hunting waterfowl with bows ended Jan. 13, so it could be inferred that if it was a legal hunt, the duck had been swimming around for at least 11 days with a bit of steel and carbon fiber in it.
